A Love Tragedy
by ForeverMe19
Summary: Emberglow has loved Snakescale since they were kits. But when Larkfeather enters the mix, Emberglow becomes desperate and depressed as she is shoved into the corner. Rated T for a reason. Emberclan Challenge


Emberkit was playing in the nursery with her brother Copperkit. Their mother Rowenfur watched them proudly as Emberkit finally pinned Copperkit.

"I win!" she cried out, getting off her littermate. Copperkit grinned, "Come on, let's go find Patchmask and ask if he can play with us." Patchmask was their father, a senior warrior.

"Be careful!" Rowenfur called after them, "Stay out of the other cats' way!"

"We will!" Emberkit called back, running after Copperkit into Shadowclan camp. They weaved in between other cats' legs, looking for the black and white tom. Before they could find him, Emberkit ran into a dark brown kit. The tom, startled, jumped away.

"Watch where you're going! You might hurt someone!" Snakekit teased, walking back over to where his sister Mosskit was talking with their mother Dapplewillow. Emberkit smile, giggling, and stared after the older tom, feeling something inside; a feeling that made her feel warm and happy.

"Emberpaw! Copperpaw! Emberpaw! Copperpaw!" the clan chanted, congratulating the new apprentices. Emberpaw looked excitedly at her brother, who grinned happily. Their mentors Doveflight and Tornnose were sitting tall, both littermates proud to have their first apprentices.

"Not bad," Emberpaw turned to see Snakepaw. He had been an apprentice for one moon and already seemed much older. She smiled, "Thanks Snakepaw." She felt the same warm feeling inside. His dark brown fur looked glossy in the sunlight and his green eyes twinkled with mischief. Emberpaw sighed softly.

"You okay?" Snakepaw asked, sounding a touch concerned. She quickly shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"I'm fine," she said, embarrassed. Snakepaw smiled, then walked over to Pricklenose, his mentor. She watched him go, smiling happily.

Emberpaw ran over to the newly-named warrior Snakescale.

"Congratulations!" she said, smiling.

"Thanks!" he answered, looking very proud and regal. As he walked over to his sister Mossleaf, she sighed. Emberpaw had already figured out what the feelings were; she had fallen head-over-paws for the tom. She wanted to tell him, but she feared losing their friendship. Copperpaw walked over and pushed her.

"Hey!" Emberpaw protested while Copperpaw snickered.

"Serves you right," he laughed, "You can't pay attention to anyone else when Snakescale is around." Emberpaw blushed, "Well he's very nice and brave and-" Her voice trailed off. She watched Snakescale touch noses gently with Larkfeather, a calico she-cat a couple moons older. Emberpaw watched Larkfeather purr and lick his cheek. She could feel her heart breaking, like it had been clawed into pieces. Copperpaw saw her face fall, and the tears that had started to form. He led her gently into the pines, heading to her favorite spot in the territory: a bed of violets near the Twoleg nest. Copperpaw then left Emberpaw to cry all her tears.

Emberglow had been a warrior for a moon now. Snakescale seemed like he had forgotten her; he spent so much time with Larkfeather that he had forgotten his best friend. Coppergaze had tried to talk to his sister about it, but she always would turn away and clam up. Emberglow tried to hide it, but she still loved the handsome tom. She couldn't just forget the all the feelings that she had been having since she was a kit.

But it was taking its toll on her. She didn't groom as often, sometimes didn't eat. She would sit and brood for a long time, spacing in and out of reality. Even Emberglow's concentration on helping her clan was slipping. She felt defeated and worthless; what had she done wrong to ruin her friendship with the one she cared about so much?

Coppergaze knew she blamed herself, but he didn't realize the depth of the hole she was falling in.

Emberglow stared at the Thunderpath. She could hear monsters coming from both directions, feel the shake in the ground. One trembling paw stepped onto the black ground, the rest following as slowly and shakily. She then paused. As monsters flew past, she heard paw steps running toward her. Emberglow heard the voice calling for her to stop, but it wasn't the one she wanted to hear. Coppergaze stared horrified as she leaped into the way of the oncoming monster.

Snakescale's POV

Snakescale was in camp, playing with Palespeck's new litter of kits as a favor so the queen could get some fresh air on a walk with Tornnose. One of the kits gasped, and he turned quickly at the place he was staring at: the entrance to camp. Coppergaze was dragging a red she-cat into camp, her green eyes with flecks of grey staring unseeingly straight at him. He froze, thinking, "No. It can't be."

"Emberglow!" Rowenfur cried, running to her daughter's body as Coppergaze gently laid her in the center of camp.

"She did it," the dark red tom choked out, "She let herself get hit by a monster." Memories began to flood Snakescale: playing with her, having friendly competitions, laughing together as Mosspaw was startled by a leaf, sitting together at her first Gathering. The last one was her congratulating him in becoming a warrior. Snakescale was immediately confused; why didn't he have more to remember after that?

He then did: her staring sadly at him as he shared tongues with Larkfeather, trying to talk to him but he left to go on a walk with Larkfeather, her half-hearted congratulations when he told Mossleaf and Coppergaze that Larkfeather was his mate, her dull fur and haunted eyes that stared at him desperately while he asked Larkfeather if she wanted to have kits one day. Snakescale stared at his best friend's body, and finally understood.

"I did this," he whispered. He walked over to Emberglow's body, her fur shining from the grooming her mother had given her, her once bright eyes still sporting the faintest trace of a sparkle. He buried his nose in her shoulder, thinking, "If you had told me, I would have kept my feelings for you. Larkfeather told me that she loved me. I grew to love her, but I forgot my first love." He opened his eyes to stare at her beautiful form, and felt guilty.

"I should have told you," he whispered, "I should have waited for you, waited until we both had the courage to tell." Snakescale never left her side, didn't sleep a moment all night during the vigil, and followed the elders Scorchblaze, Thistlefang, and Mothpelt when they took her out for burial. He helped them, then laid beside her grave as the three cats headed back to camp.

"Snakescale?" he heard Larkfeather's concerned voice behind him, "Are you okay?" He turned to the pretty she-cat, taking in her yellow-green eyes and just-groomed, soft calico fur. He didn't feel his heart quicken like it used to.

"Snakescale?" she asked again, lying beside him. Snakescale looked into her eyes, the very ones that used to make him melt.

"Larkfeather," he started to say, but she put her tail to his mouth.

"I know," she whispered, suddenly and sadly, "I can see it in your eyes. I'm sorry she died. Emberglow was a good friend, but I know she was more to you than you let on. But I have one question; why did you ignore her?" Snakescale looked at the ground.

"I thought she only liked me as a friend," he said, knowing he sounded stupid, "I thought I'd ruin the friendship we had. I didn't notice I was hurting her so badly. Of I had known, I could've saved her life." Larkfeather touched her nose to his ear, then left, leaving her former mate to grieve in peace.

Author's Note: Wow. That was... I don't know. This story was harder to write because I started to get really attached to Emberglow. The challenge/inspiration for this was:

_Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend._

_Somewhere along in the bitterness and I would have stayed up with you all night._

_Had I known,_

_How to Save a Life"_

_-The Fray._

This was a chorus from their song, How To Save A Life. The idea just came to me: love thought to be one-sided, but just not told. Snakescale eventually got back with Larkfeather, naming their one kit Emberkit. Hope you liked it! As always, come join Emberclan! We're awesome!


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